The Witness
by AskAndYouWillReceive
Summary: 'With the cries and the shots still ringing in his ears, he forced himself to keep running. His lunges were burning from the exertion, his chest was heaving with every breath he drew in. It hurt, but he had to get away. So he kept pushing himself to keep his feet moving, knowing that with every step he took he left it all a little further behind him.' - AU -Enjoy! Input is welcome!
1. Chapter 1

With the cries and the shots still ringing in his ears, he forced himself to keep running. His lunges were burning from the exertion, his chest was heaving with every breath he drew in. It hurt, but he had to get away. So he kept pushing himself to keep his feet moving, knowing that with every step he took he left it all a little further behind him. The only thing grounding him at the moment, was feeling the hard soil under the worn out soles from the second hand sneakers the last family had given him.

Why does all the bad stuff need to happen to him? He didn't do anything wrong! But from the moment he had been born life had dealt him the wrong cards. His mom dying from an overdose when he was just 4 months old, nobody knew who his father was and there had been no other family members to take him in or who were willing to do that anyways. Since the dead of his mother he had been bouncing around amongst foster families and group homes. There were a few decent ones amongst them, but most of them had just kept him for the money he brought in. The scars on his growing body were proof of all the times foster parents had decided that he needed a punishment of some sort. He could live with the scars, but the nightmares he kept having were to worst of all. It had been at least 3 years since he had a full night of sleep without waking up, sweat covering his entire body and dark, painful images swarming in his head.

Shaking those dark thoughts out of his head he took a left turn. He needed to figure out where he was. They had blindfolded him and took him to some warehouse full of carton boxes and very bright lights. His eyes had needed some adjustment time after the blindfold had been removed. Once they had adjusted to the light he had noticed the man and woman kneeling in front of him, hands behind their head. The woman had been crying while the man had tried to explain something with a voice that was intertwined with fear. He hadn't been able to process anything what was being said. He had heard enough stories from the others to know what was going to happen here. He had only hoped that they would leave him alone, but they had other plans with him it seemed. His only thought at that moment was: 'What are they going to do?'. He didn't need to wait very long to know the answer to that question. As the images flashed through his head again, he clenched his fist a little harder and pushed himself a little more. He felt tears filling his eyes again, blurring his vision a little.

He didn't know how he had been able to escape, but at some point he had seen an opening and he just ran. He had never excelled at running, but now it felt like he was flying. A flight that was cut short as he ran into someone.

In a reflex he put his hands on the woman's waist to steady himself at the same time that he felt 2 hands on his shoulders to do the same. That didn't prevent him from body slamming the woman in front of him.

"I…I'm so.. sorry." He said trying to catch his breath a little. Before the woman could say something he turned around and stared running again. He knew he was close to where he could stay safe for a little while. He just hoped he had time enough to think about some things before they would find him again. Because he knew one thing for sure, they would find him. No matter where he would be.

* * *

"911, what is your emergency?"

"Hello, I would like to report a strange occurrence."

"Go ahead, I'm listening ma'm"

"A young boy just ran into me." The woman started as she looked down to her clothes. "And he …" Her voice trailed off as she looked into the direction that the boy had ran off to.

"Ma'm, you still there?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"What about the boy Ma'm?"

"I think he was covered in blood" She said looking down at her clothes again, seeing the dark red stains the boy had left behind on her white blouse when he had ran into her.

"You need to stay where you are Ma'm, a patrol car will be with you shortly. Can I have your name, please?"

"Regina. Regina Mills."

* * *

"The boy ran." On the other end of the line a deep sigh could be heard.

"You think he will tell?"

"No, he was scared as hell and where would he run to anyway."

"Good. Clean up first and then go find him. And then explain to him how it is going to be from now on."

* * *

Detective Emma Swan was sitting cross legged in her sofa, papers scattered around her while she was eating some take out Chinese. Soft music was playing in the background to fill up the silence as she went over the cases again. Cases that she was stuck on and for which she needed a new lead. She loved her job, but this was one of the more frustrating aspects. That and paperwork. God, she hated paperwork. So, here she was, sitting in her one-bedroom apartment going over those files again hoping that she would notice something that she had overlooked.

She had worked her way up from street agent to a detective in the organized crime unit. It had taken her 10 years to get to where she was now. 10 years of hard work and dedication, working night shift, doing odd undercover jobs. But she did it, she had beat the odds in her favor. Not many of the people she grew up with could say that.

She had started out her life being abandoned at the side of the road near a diner. A little boy had found her and from then on she had been in foster care. The first 3 years she had spend with a loving family. They gave her everything she needed and took care of her like their own, but that was until they were expecting their own child. In no-time she was handed back into the care of the state. After that she had been moved from one foster home to another with some group homes in between those from time to time. She had known starvation, abuse and it had even come close to sexual abuse. Scares where scattered over her whole body, each with their own story attached to it. They were like a map of the journey of her life. Most of them were invisible when she was fully dressed, but the one on her wrist was more difficult to hide and the reason she tried to wear as much long sleeves as she could. Or she tried to hide it with a big watch big enough to cover it up.

She got the scar when a foster dad had tied her to the bed because she made too much noise as she played with a broken doll she had found somewhere laying around the house. She could still smell the alcohol in the man's breath as he tied her up and spat venomous words in her face. She had been tied down to that bed for 2 days. She had tried so hard to get away that she had opened up her wrist to the point that is was just raw skin. It had taken weeks until it was healed, malnutrition isn't very conducive for healing so it seems. She sometimes catches herself tracing the rough patches of skin on her wrist when she's lost in her own thoughts.

When she hit the age of 14, she had been through 10 foster homes. Because of that and some problems she had with authorities, the state classified her as 'troubled' and 'not placeable '. Once you receive those 2 stamps on your file, you get shoved into a group home with more kids then they could handle. But a year later she got lucky, well it depends on how you define 'lucky'. She was roaming the streets and didn't feel like going back to the group home. But as the evening fell she got hungry. So she decided to go about her old ways again and try to shoplift something. It was not like she hadn't done it before, it had been necessary at some point. But it seemed that she had lost her touch. The owner of the store caught her and knew who to call to find out who she was and where she lived. Her social worker came by and both came to the agreement that they wouldn't call the police but she had to go back every day after school to help out in the shop.

She doesn't know how it happened, but at some point she had moved in with the man and his family. She got a taste of how life could be for her. They had guided her into doing better in school and even helped her to form a dream of her future. So, when she graduated she had signed up for the police force.

That is basically how she ended up on her coach on a Friday evening surrounded by papers from a job she loved. An evening that was being disturbed by her phone ringing. Glancing at the screen, she felt a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"What do you want Rubes?" Emma said faking annoyance in her voice.

"You. Me. Some music and probably an indecent amount of alcohol." Came the shout on the other side of the line. Ruby Lucas had started the academy at the same time and they had hit it off immediately. Training together, boxing up against all the obstacles and climbing up ranks. Ruby worked homicide but seeing the nature of organized crime they worked together from time to time.

"I see." Emma said as she let out a little chuckle. "And what if I decline, because, I don't know, I'm on call this weekend?"

"Then I will tell Granny where her favorite glass bowl disappeared to." Came the immediate response.

"Hey! That was an accident!" Emma countered; remembering their drunk night last year while Granny had been out of town for 2 days. They had been drinking in a bar close to the diner that Ruby's grandmother owned and decided that it was a perfect evening for late night pancakes to soak up some of the copious amount of alcohol flowing through their system. While they had been preparing everything on the worktop in the dinner's kitchen, the flour Emma was pouring into the glass bowl had slipped out of her hands. Let's just say that her reflexes were still present but calculating the distance of her outstretched hand had been too much for her inebriated brain, which resulted in a flour covered floor and a very, un-reparable broken favorite glass bowl. After cleaning up the mess they made, it was mutual decided that they wouldn't utter a word about the incident to Granny. They already had some reprimands on their plate for drunken entering the dinner to make themselves something and not cleaning up after themselves, this would only be cause for some more severe punishment from the older woman. And they both wanted to avoid anything in the line of the punishment of the summer of 2009.

"I wonder if Granny will see it that way." Ruby said innocently on the other end of the line.

"You know, I will take you down with me! It will be the summer of 2009 all over again." This caused Ruby to gasp loudly into the phone.

"Don't say such foul things to me!" Ruby exclaimed. "I still have nightmares about that summer." She continued, which caused both women to erupt in laughter. "So Lacey's in about an hour?" Ruby asked when the laughter had stopped. "That should be enough time for you, so you can get out of those sweats and tank into something descent for the evening."

"I feel that I don't have much of a choice here."

"Well, your feeling is very much correct about that."

"Fine." Emma said with a sigh. "I will be ready, but there can be no nagging about the choice of clothes!" Before Ruby could counter Emma beat her to it, "Yes it will be 'going out' appropriate according to the Ruby Lucas guidelines."

"Okay then." Ruby said with an exaggerating sigh. "You are no fun at all!" She snapped at her favorite dress-up doll.

"We both know that is not true." Emma replied smugly.

"I hate ya!"

"Oh I love you too Rubes! See you in an hour." As she heard the distinctive sound of the end of the phone call, she let out a deep sigh. Breaking the cases would have to wait a little while. Maybe it was good that she took her mind of them for a while she thought as she got up from her couch. She had been buried into them for quite some time now and getting her mind off of them could provide new insights and ideas.

And who knew, maybe tonight could be fun. God knows how long it had been since she had a good night out or some fun in general. Walking over to her closet, she started looking through her 'Ruby-appropriate' section. Yes, it had come so far that she had let her friend organize her closet space. In Ruby's mind it was necessary when they had to move fast. Rolling her eyes at the memories of that evening of re-organizing she pulled out a red dress. Laying it out on her bed she decided that her black pumps and black vest would be good enough to accompany the dress. Glancing down one more time on her dress, she walked over to her bathroom to wash away the week.

* * *

"In what direction did the boy ran off to?"

"As I already told your colleague," Regina started with venom in her voice, "He ran in that direction." Pointing to her left, down the street where she had come from. This had been going on for the last 20 minutes. She already answered that question and many more, had given them a description of the boy and answered some more personal questions. She started to wonder how the police solved any cases at all with this kind of inefficiency. But then again, it made her work as a lawyer so much easier when she could claim some sort of technical error or a procedure misstep. Not that she had a lot of cases that involved police investigations, but still. Right now though, it was getting on her nerves how long they were taken to actually do something. They should be looking for that boy instead of asking her the same questions again. He could be hurt. God how she wished that she had taken a closer look to see if he was hurt. Looking up again she saw that Mr. inefficient 2 was looking at her expectantly. "I'm sorry?" she said as she tried to put on a polite smile.

"You need to come back with us to the station Ma'm." The man said as he put away his booklet.

"And why is that?" Frustration very apparent in her voice.

"We will need your clothes to help the rest of our investigation."

"You what?!" Realizing that it wasn't just a weird request, hence the blood that was smeared on her clothes, she let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine." She said before the man could say anything else. "But can I first pick up a change of clothes at my home?"

"I'm sorry Ma'm, but our orders are to take you to the station immediately to avoid contamination of the evidence." Throwing the man a death glare she let out a deep huff. Knowing that arguing was going to be pointless she just gave the man a curt nod.

"What about the boy?"

"All patrolling cars are informed to look out for him. And there are officers going to start looking for him in the area you pointed out for us." He said as he opened the door of the car for her to step in.

With a soft thank you she stepped into the car and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She wanted to let her head rest on the seat but decided against it as she remembered where she was. Who knew who had occupied these seats before her.

* * *

"I can't find the boy."

"What do you mean, you can't find the boy!?" His bosses' voice boomed through the phone.

"He didn't go back to the group home." He stuttered into the phone, knowing that this phone call could end bad for him.

"Ask Blue for some information on the boy, maybe that can help you find him." His boss said after a few seconds of silence. "You better find him, knowing how you work, I'm sure he's a liability of some sort at this moment."

"I will find him. I swear."

"I know Hook, but do make sure that this doesn't happen again. I would hate to replace you." With that warning the line went dead. The cold words let a shiver run through him from head to toe. Putting away his phone, he went on his search to find that boy.

* * *

He slumped down into the tower of the wooden castle on the playground. This playground was the only real constant place in his life. Wherever he was placed, with a family or in a group home, he always was near this playground. He lost count of how many times he had come here to hide away. Here the dragons and wizards of his imagination had come to life. Imagination that was suppressed fast when he started to understand the 'real' life. Still, it had become his place, his safe haven.

Leaning his head against the wooden panels, he lifted up his hands so they were level with his eyes. Turning them around he could the smudges of blood on them. He wondered how the rest looked like. Judging from the horrified look on the woman's face when he; quite literally, ran into her, it wasn't a very promising prospect.

Looking over his hands one more time, he cradled his head into them. Feeling his eyes sting with tears that he didn't allowed to fall before, he couldn't hold them in anymore. As sobs ripped through his body, the only thought crossing his mind was what was going to happen to him now. He was at a loss.

* * *

"Shots!" Ruby shouted as she slammed her credit card on the bar and looked at the bartender with a smirk. "And keep them coming." Throwing in a seductive wink.

"Really Rubes? We just got here."

"All the more reason to catch up with the ones who were here before us." Ruby said as she turned to her friend with a shot in each hand. "Drink up, so you can stop whining!"

Emma accepted the shot with an eye roll and downed it immediately. Feeling the burn of the alcohol, she closed her eyes until it had reached its destination. Giving the glass back to her friend, she opened one eye to see a smirking Ruby.

"Good stuff right?!"

"A little too good if you ask me." She replied, still feeling the burn.

"Oh hush." Ruby said as she accepted another pair of shots from the bartender. "Let's drink another one and then we can hit the dance floor!"

"If you say so Rubes." Emma said as she accepted the shot with another eye roll. "But after this one, I won't drink anymore. Just remember that I'm on call this weekend."

"Yeah yeah. I know." Her friend answered with an eye roll of her own after downing her own shot.

"Well, just don't forget about it before you go all crazy on me this evening."

"With that being said, let's go dancing!"

Putting down her own shot glass, Emma followed her very exited friend to the dance floor. Seeing how the brunette locks disappeared into the crowd, she knew that it was going to be an intense night. She just hoped that their wouldn't be a phone call too early tomorrow or even better, no phone calls at all. But somehow she knew it was wishful thinking. With a soft sigh she let herself disappear into the crowd of moving bodies, letting the music lead her through the night.

* * *

A light beam broke through the darkness in the wooden tower, revealing a slumbering boy. Telling his colleague to call it in, Leroy climbs inside to tower. Looking down at the small boy, he sees the dried blood marks on his clothes, hands and some parts on his face. Seeing no signs of any cuts, bruises or anything that could point out that it was the child's blood, he wondered what must of happened to the fragile looking boy. Crouching down beside him, he puts a hand on his shoulder to softly shake him awake. Seeing some movement in the slumbering child, he sat back a little on his heels to give him some space to wake up.

"Hey, it's time to get up."

Startled by the voice that interrupted his sleep, he woke up in no time. Looking around he saw a man sitting next to him, not looking twice, his running reflexes came to the fore front full speed. He scrambled to get up and tried to get out of there, but strong hands pulled him back.

"Wow, slow down there tiger!" Leroy said as he pulled the boy back. "I'm not going to hurt you." He said as he released the boy, holding up his hands to show that he meant no harm. "I'm from the police. See!" He said pointing at his uniform.

Those words seemed to hit home somehow as the boy leaned back against the wood and made no intents of running again. Still weary of the man on the other side of him, he looked him up and down to gauge his intentions. Being in foster care hadn't only made him weary of people in general, but had taught him a few lesson about policemen as well.

"My name is Leroy. What's yours?" The man said as he saw the boy glancing over him.

"Henry. My name is Henry." The boy said softly.

"Well, Henry, I have to take you to police station okay?" Receiving a little nod, he stood up and laid a hand on Henry's shoulder. "Let's go then."

The walk over to the squad car was in silence.

"What's going to happen to me?" Henry asked as Leroy opened the door for him.

"Well, our colleagues are going to ask you some questions and from then on it depends how the investigation goes." Came the honest response.

"Okay." The soft response came. Not knowing what he had expected, he felt some relief. They were not bringing him back to the group home nor were they going to lock him up or something in that order. But then again, what was he supposed to answer when they were going to ask question? How would he explain all the blood?

"I promise, we will take care of you Henry." Leroy said before he closed the car door. Walking over to the driver's seat, he let out a soft sigh. He just hoped they would be able to keep the boy out of more serious business, but looking at it now, he was afraid that it was already too late for that.

* * *

"Boss, we have a problem."

"That doesn't sound really promising Hook." The tone of the voice on the other end of the line send shivers down Hook's spine. "Well, out with it then. I don't have all day to listen to your incompetence."

"The police has the boy. I just saw them escorting him out of the playground where he was hiding." Hearing the frustrated sigh on the other end, Hook prepared himself to be on the receiving end of an angry rage.

"I'll take care of it from here Hook." Came the controlled response, much to the surprise of the receiver. "Just make sure that there are no solid traces that could lead back to us."

"Sure Boss."

"Oh and Hook."

"Yeah?"

"Make sure that I don't have to replace you. Getting rid of you would be a very messy debacle." That was the second threat in a mere 8 hours he had received today. He was used to the threat that his boss threw in his direction on an almost daily basis, but this, he wasn't used to. There must be something bigger going on, otherwise his boss wouldn't be throwing those intimidations around so easily. Whatever it was, he was sure that he would know eventually. But now he would just have to wait and see what the future would bring.

Putting away his phone with a soft sight, he walked over to his car. He knew that he had a few hours of work ahead of him to make sure that there were no traces before he could even consider taking a break. Otherwise his boss would come through on his promises, of that he was sure.


	2. Chapter 2

"You can change into these Miss Mills." The police officer handed her some scrubs, clearly a size or 2 too big for her. Looking at the dark blue outfit, she was all too happy that isn't wasn't an orange jumpsuit.

"And where can I get changed?" Regina asked, eyeing the clothing she was holding. Seeing no immediate stains or any other irregularities, she looked up again seeing the surprised look from Mr. Inefficient 2. "Well?" Throwing him an ice cold look that made her opponents and the occasional intern running for the hills.

"Well,… Euhm… I don't know…" Seeing him struggling to get out some words, she just cocked up one eyebrow and waited what effect that had on the man. Not a good effect so it seemed as the man stopped producing any sounds now.

"I doesn't seem that this is going anywhere. Maybe you should call your supervisor so we can come to a solution?" Regina said going in full lawyer mode. "Because I'm not getting changed in this interrogation room where anybody can come barging in and where there is a camera taping every movement in here. And let's not talk about the possibility that some of your colleagues are lurking behind that glass." She ended her little rant pointing at the glass on the other side of the room.

Not getting the chance to say anything else, the door opened. They both turned to the opening door seeing who would enter. Regina wondered if she had raised her voice that much. Before she could finish any other thought, a man entered the room.

"Officer Clark." The man said as he closed the door behind him. Doing so, he came in full view of Regina for the first time. He was a good looking man, if you like the tall, dark and mysterious type. Eyeing the suit the man was wearing, she noticed that it wasn't tailored right for the man. That or he had recently lost some weight. "What seems to be the problem here?" Hearing the accent coming to the forefront now, she placed it as Irish. She wasn't used to hearing that kind of accents in the law enforcement, normally they were more on the opposite side of the law.

"Miss Mills clothes are needed for evidence and she is not so pleased that she has to get changed here, Sir." Mr. Inefficient 2 quickly said taking a step closer to the man. Clearly the man had some power around here.

"Well, is Miss Mills a suspect in the case?"

"No, not really."

"Well then, maybe you could offer her a more private place to get changed then?"

"I will arrange it immediately Sir." With those words the police officer left the interrogation room in a hurry to find a room acceptable.

"You have to excuse Officer Clark, but he just started in the field and he likes to execute his orders in full detail." He said with a low chuckle.

"Well, at least he won't make any mistakes during the investigations then." Came the quick response.

"Indeed he won't, maybe I should call him back on looking for another room. I don't want him to make any mistakes that could be negative for the case!?" If Regina didn't knew better, she would've thought that this was a personal attack. But seeing as she didn't knew the man and she is pretty good with faces and names, she didn't knew where this jab came from. "If that is all, Miss Mills, I will be leaving you in the capable hands of my colleagues. Have a good night." With that, the man slipped out of the room again, leaving a rather confused Regina behind.

She didn't get a lot of time dwelling on the interaction she just had, as Officer Clark entered the room again.

"I have found a room for you to change in Miss." He said standing in the doorway. "If you would follow me please." With a curd nod, she took her purse and followed the officer.

"Can I ask you a question officer Clark?"

"Sure." The man said with a shrug. "As long as it isn't case related."

"Who was that man that just left?" Regina asked, wondering if the name would ring a bell.

"That was Lieutenant Humbert. He's leading the organized crime unit."

Thinking about the name, Regina followed the man on autopilot. She just didn't recall meeting anyone named Humbert, which made the tiny outburst from the man seem very strange. Without breaking her chain of thoughts, she was standing in front of some small archive room with a paper bag in her hands to put in her clothes. With the instructions taking over her thoughts, she gave the man a soft nod in understanding and went inside the room to do as instructed. She just hoped that this night would be over soon, as fatigue came to the forefront for the first time tonight.

* * *

Looking down at the orange jumpsuit he was wearing, he lets the events of the last hour run through his mind. Arriving at the police station they had escorted him to some kind of lab, where people in white coats were running around. One person had taken him to a small room where they took so much pictures of him that he still could see the flash when he closed his eyes. After that he followed a mousy looking man that introduced himself as 'Will' and who poked him with all kinds of things while he mumbled stuff about the perfect samples. After another frisk down from Leroy, they had given him an orange jumpsuit and pushed him in some shower cubicle where he had to take off his clothes and give them to the mousy looking man who tagged and bagged the items. Getting over the initial lack of privacy, he had been happy to be able to wash away the blood and sweat.

When he had hoisted himself in the jumpsuit, Leroy had escorted him to a bare room with a table and three chairs. He was told that he needed to stay there until someone would come to ask him some questions. Until that point, no one had asked him any question, just gave him instructions on what to do. They hadn't even asked for his address or full name. With a soft sigh, he sagged a little more in the chair.

He didn't know how much time had passed since the police officer had left him there, but after what felt like an hour, the door swung open and revealed Leroy and some other man in a suit. They took their seats on the other side of the table. Sitting up a little straighter in his chair, he looked at Leroy and received, what he hoped, a comforting smile.

"Hello Henry," Leroy said after he had taken his seat. "This is my colleague, Detective Nolan and he is going to ask you some questions. Okay?" Nodding at the police officer, Henry looked over at the Detective who was going to ask the questions.

"Let's start from the beginning, shall we?"

* * *

Groaning Emma lifted up her head to look over at the offending piece of technology that had woken her abruptly out of her sleep. She wasn't hung over, but she had been dancing most of the night and since it was close to 5 a.m. until she had been able to wrap herself in her sheets, she was still very tired. Glancing over at the clock, she saw that it was barely 8, which wasn't even coming close to the time she wanted to get up. Picking up her phone, she didn't even bother looking at the screen, knowing exactly who would be calling at this moment.

"Swan." She groaned as she pushed herself up and sat against her headboard.

"Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine this morning." Came the easy sneer accompanied with a low chuckle.

"Ruby." She croaked back, stroking her hair out of her face and letting her head fall back.

"Ah, I know enough."

"Thought so. So to what do I have the honor to receive this very early wakeup call?"

"There was an arrest last night. A young boy covered in blood and rather shaking up. Doesn't trust us at all."

"Foster kid?" It wasn't even a guess, she just knew. Why else would he call her.

"Indeed. They tried to ask him some questions already, but other than the fact that he is in foster care we got nothing out of him. He doesn't want to say anything about what happened to him and how he got the blood all over him."

"That is good and all, but what do you need me for?"

"We think you are the only one that can get through to him. Seeing his background…"

"Cut the crap Humbert!" Emma snapped at him. "We both know that there are enough capable people who could connect to him. What do you really want, because seeing what you told me, this has nothing to do with the organized crime unit. Or am I wrong?" She asked sarcastically. Feeling frustrations coming up again, she thought back to Monday when she had uttered her new theory to her old partner but that was shot down in no time. Because, according to him, there were other more urgent matters to attend to. But for her, this was priority, it was a new angle they could investigate and a stronger stick they could lash out with to the different gangs and mobs running the town at this point.

She had voiced her concern to him about a tip she got from the Mad Hatter. He had told her that there were drug dealers who were using children from foster care to distribute drugs. Being rather young, they didn't fall under suspicion that quickly.

She had thought that it was a plausible explanation as to why there were less arrest of the normal suspect for carrying and distributing drugs. Gathering some more numbers and possible gangs who would take to these kind of means, she had gone to her Lieutenant to present him her theory and uttered her concern about this possible new development.

Her Lieutenant being her old partner Graham Humbert. They both had taken part in the exams to promote to Lieutenant in the organized crime unit when the news had come that the old man was going to retire. It had all started out fine, they helped each other study for their exam and hoped that one of them would get the job. In the end it had been Graham who got the job after an extra round of interviews. She had been happy for him and thought the better detective had won fair and square, until the old Lieutenant had come to her to express his regret. She had been baffled. The old boys club had done it again, he had said with a shake of his head and she had known enough.

She tried to hide her disappointment and frustration about the still installed old police politics but eventually it had driven a wedge between the once close partners. She had never told him why she had become weary and snappy towards him. That is why, every time she lashed out to him, he acted as a hurt puppy instead her boss. He had voiced his disappointment and frustration about that once but she never gave him the explanation that he wanted and, if she was honest, deserved. She knew he deserved it, but let's be honest, she was never good at voicing her feelings and struggles especially if she felt hurt and disappointed. Above all, she knew that it wasn't his fault that he did get the job, it was never his decision.. But still, she had felt insignificant and invaluable, a feeling she was all too familiar with if you knew her childhood.

"What do you want me to say Emma?" Came the very weak response from the other side, not helping her with her new found frustration levels.

"Oh, you know what I want to hear Graham." Both knowing that Emma wanted him to say she was right and that is was wrong to shot down her theory so quickly.

"We will see later on in the case." Came the diplomatic answer of the Lieutenant.

"Fine, I'll be there in an hour." She grumbled into the phone as she threw her sheet of her. And without waiting for a response, she ended the call as her feet touched the soft carpet.

Letting out a deep sigh, she pushed herself up and walked over to the bathroom to take a much needed shower. She knew an hour was rather long, but she needed to stop by Granny's to get some coffee and at least one bear claw.

* * *

"Cora Mills."

"Ah, I'm speaking to the Queen herself."

"And to what do I owe this phone call?" Cora asked as she leaned back into her leather chair. "Normally it's one of you lower worker bees who picks up the phone for you to make sure your clumsy dirty work gets fixed."

"Aah, so much hostility so early in the day." Came from the other end with a low chuckle. "It seems like nothing has changed from the old days."

"Oh, don't pretend that I hurt your feelings." Cora responded with a dry chuckle of her own.

"No, not at all. It's what we do isn't it?"

"Indeed it is. But you haven't answered my question yet."

"Ah, always going straight to the point. I wouldn't call you if we haven't had a little situation."

"I already figured that much." She said annoyed that the conversation didn't seem to go anywhere. She had other things to do, things that have a higher priority.

"Seems that I'm hitting a nerve."

"Don't you always?" Cora asked, sarcasm dripping from her tone. "Just tell me what happened, so I can fix it."

"Is that how you treat your old friends."

"Depends on your definition of friends."

"Aaah, don't forget who helped getting you that big, comfortable looking, leather chair you are sitting in right now."

"How can I? You help reminding me every time we speak." Came the curt response.

"Just making sure that we're still on the same page before we move on to more serious business ."

"Of course."

"We have a situation and the police is already involved."

"Okay." Cora said, already thinking about who she could contact within the police force to get some extra information. Taking a pen, she pulled a sheet closer so she could scribble down the details.

"You already know that we are travelling new roads when it comes to our drugs traffic within the city?"

"Don't tell me the police picked up a minor with a load of drugs in his bag pack instead of home work."

"Not quite. But we had some rats we needed to take care of and since we are still trying to figure out a way to bind a child to our organization completely… "

"I get the unfortunate picture." Cora stopped him before he could get into the horrible details. "The main question here is, how did the child get into the hands of the police."

"Well, while we took care of the leaks, we made a little mess and presumably scared the boy a little and when Hook wasn't looking he ran."

"Ah, Hook." Cora sighed into the phone. "How many times will I have to solve something that he made a mess of?"

"He is good at what he does."

"Seeing that you are on the phone with me, you might have to reconsider that statement."

"I do have to admit that he made a rather fine mess this time." That admission made appear something that resembled a smile onto the features of the otherwise static woman. "The boy was found covered in blood by some police officers on the playground where he was hiding. Hook almost had him, but he was just a few minutes too late and saw how they took him into custody."

"Hmm, that will make things more difficult." She thought out loud. "Did Hook at least cleaned up after himself?"

"I'm pretty sure that no remains will be found. At least not in the next 2 – 3 decades."

"Okay, I know enough. I will make it disappear." She said with a sigh.

"Ah, not so quickly. There's a catch."

"What is it this time?" Cora let out a frustrated sigh, knowing that this wasn't going to be promising.

"The boy ran into someone after he ran off. And that prominent person called in the police to notify them that there was a bloody boy running around town. Being the person that she is, she is also very determined to find out what happened to the boy."

"And that is something we need to prevent at all costs." She said tapping her pen on her desk, looking at the scribbled paper in front of her. "Who is that prominent person or are you going to let me find out myself?"

"Ah, that's the catch. It's no other then the one and only Regina Mills." Waiting for a response, he was silent for a few seconds, but realizing Cora was a champion in hiding her emotions, he took it a little further. "And knowing her mother, you can be certain she isn't going to let this go so easily."

"I'll take care of it." Cora snapped into the phone, her mind going at a 100 miles an hour. How could her daughter be involved in this? But most importantly, how would she get her daughter to let this go. Because he was right, if her daughter had set her sights on something she wouldn't let go so easily. That's what made her so successful in her younger years and had made her so successful in what she does now.

"I'm sure you will. I will leave you to it then, I'm sure you have some things to do. Maybe call in a family meeting?" Happy that he got some reaction out of the woman, he decided that this conversation had taken up enough of his time.

Throwing her phone on her desk, she turned around with a frustrating groan. That man always had known how to get on her nerves. Letting her frustration sink a little, she gazed outside, thinking about how she would handle this situation. She would have to be very delicate about it, because for the first time her daughter was personally involved.

* * *

Walking into the dinner at morning rush, Emma noticed a hooded figure, sitting over a damping cup of coffee holding their head up with both hands. Knowing immediately who it was, she sat beside the person and gave her a soft push which caused the other person to lose balance a little.

"Morning sunshine!" Emma said, with a soft chuckle noticing that they were wearing sunglasses as well. "How are you doing this beautiful morning?!"

"I'm never drinking again!" She stated groaning as she buried her head in her hands again. Emma couldn't help but laugh at the antics of her friend.

"Yeah right, Rubes." Emma said as she nodded to the waitress to confirm that she wanted her usual. "You say that at least once a month and you never pull true on that."

"I mean it this time." Ruby said with another groan as she turned her head a little so she could look at her friend. "Especially with such a bad friend as you!"

"What did I do this time?" Emma gasped in surprise.

"You brought me here!" She said, lifting her hands a little to emphasis on Granny's.

"Well you asked for it!"

"What did I do to deserve being brought to my grandmother in an extremely drunk state? You know how she is. If she's up, everybody is up. I've got like 3 hours of sleep, tops! That isn't enough to get rid of this giant hangover I'm dealing with at this point. I'm…"

"Are you done yet?" Emma asked with an unimpressed look on her face, conveniently ending her friends little rant.

"No, not even close!"

"Good, then, before we go any further I would like to tell my side of this tale. Okay?" Receiving a little nod, she said her soft thanks to the waitress putting her coffee and bear claw in front of her. "It all started after shot number 8 or 9, I kind of lost track after 5, but anyways that's where it all began." Emma started as she blew a little on her coffee so she could take a sip. "You were reminiscing about your childhood and after, let's say, shot 10 you got a little emotional. I will not go in full detail because that would get a little embarrassing, but to get to the point, you started crying that you wanted your Granny like you were a 4-year old." Stopping Ruby with a raised hand so she wouldn't cut into her tale, she took a sip of coffee. Letting out a soft sigh at the warmth spreading through her body, she eyed her bear claw, but decided that she would enjoy it way better after she finished this story. "After shot 12 I cut you off completely because your emotional state was getting worse. After some talking with you, I decided that it was in your best interest to get you home and into your bed. So when I finally was able to drag you outside and into a cab, you yourself rambled off Granny's address." Emma said while she pointed at Ruby who was burying her head in her hands again, probably trying to remember some elements for herself.

"Fine, fine." Ruby said, lifting her head again to look at her grinning friend. "Don't look so smug about it." She chuckled as she gave her friend a little push which caused Emma to miss her mouth completely with her bear claw. "What are you doing up so early?" Ruby asked as she completely ignored the glare that was thrown in her direction.

"Got a wake-up call." Emma mumbled around her pastry.

"From?"

"Graham." Came the response after she had swallowed her big bite. "They seem to have a foster kid in custody and they 'can't get through' to him. So he called me." Meeting the raised eye brow that screamed 'bullshit' from her friend she just nodded her agreement.

"When are you going in?"

"Now, I guess." Emma said as she jumped off her seat. "Have a nice hangover day Rubes." She threw over her shoulder as she walked to the door.

"Yeah thanks." Came the sarcastic response followed by the familiar thud of a head coming down on the counter. Chuckling at her friend's behavior Emma pushed through the door. Knowing that this was the last carefree moment she would have for today, she let out a deep sigh. Walking over to her car she patted the hood like she always does before getting in and driving off towards the police station.

* * *

Tossing around in her bed for the umpteenth time, Regina decided that she had enough. She had slipped in and out of sleep throughout the whole night, waking each time with the image of the scared boy overtaken her mind. It took a shower and some hard apple cider to calm her down enough to find some peace in her overrunning mind from al that had happened that day. But it seemed to be insufficient to help her find some sleep that night.

Letting out a soft groan, she knew it had been a lost cause from the start. When she got home last night, all the questions she wasn't allowed to ask were running through her mind. She had tried to find out some basics about the boy that she had encountered, but more than a 'We found him and he's fine' wasn't in order.

She had tried to push some more, but the officers in charge weren't keen on sharing what they knew, if they knew anything at all. Because judging how they had approached her in the beginning, she still wondered how the police solved any cases at all. Inefficient had been the key word in more than one way!

Throwing off her sheets, she reached for her robe. Maybe some coffee would help her through the day, since she wasn't going to get any sleep anyway. Normally, she would be sitting behind her desk already, typing away on some reports and doing research on her ongoing cases.

Slipping into her robe she let out a deep sigh. It was better not to think about how lonely and work-filled her life was. She had realized it some weeks ago after a night out with her only friend. Katherine had been talking about all the things going in her life and at some point she had come to the conclusion that her life was empty. Except for work, some family dinners with her parents and the occasional talks with Katherine there wasn't much more going on in her life. Crossing paths with the bloody boy had been the first thing that had been out of routine in over 3 years.

Letting out another sigh, she punched some buttons on her coffee machine to make her perfect blend. Waiting for the machine to sputter to life, she worried her bottom lip between her teeth. Maybe this was a sign? A very disturbing sign but a sign nonetheless?

Who was she kidding? Since when did she believe in signs? Shaking her head she took her mug and leaned against the counter. Maybe she was more shaking up from last night than she thought?

Her train of thought was interrupted by her phone ringing. Wondering who it could be, she put her mug aside and followed the sound. She didn't know where she left it, since she came home rather in a daze last night. Stepping inside the living room, she found her purse, keys and phone laying on the coffee table. Picking up the phone, she glanced at the screen and tried to hold in the urge to stomp her foot. She was so not up for this. With a last sigh, she decided that it was better to get it over with.

"Hello mother." Regina answered.

"Regina dear! How are you doing?"

"I'm fine Mother." She answered, trying to hold back the eye roll at her mother's fake interest in her life. "How are you and Daddy?" Regina asked more out of habit than real interest.

"We are doing fine. We had a nice dinner last night with the Hood's."

"How lovely Mother."

"We had a nice chat about their son."

"Can we not go there Mother?" Regina said rubbing her temple with her free hand. "It's way too early for that."

"It's 9 a.m. dear, it isn't that early."

"My point exactly!"

"Fine Regina, as your mother I just want what's best for you." Came the snipped response. Cora had been trying to set her up with Robin since she was old enough to date. She thought Regina and Robin would make the perfect merge between both families. With the key word being merge. Robin would be more than happy to go through with it, but she wanted more. There had to be more right? So each time her mother mentioned the Hood's or even the name Robin, she shut the idea down as fast as she could.

"Thanks for your concern mother, but I'm capable making my own decisions."

"Of course you are Regina." Disappointment prominent in her mother's voice.

"Was there something else Mother?" She said, trying to cut the conversation short, before it would escalate.

"Yes, your father and I would be delighted to have you for dinner tonight."

"I…"

"Before you make up an excuse not to come, it has been a while since we've seen you."

"Fine. I will be there." Regina said as her excuses died on her lips.

"Well, see you at 6 dear. Have a nice day."

"Thanks Mother." And before she could say anything else, she was greeted with silence.

Throwing her phone onto the couch, she let herself fall down in it. It wasn't abnormal to have dinner with her parents from time to time but she just didn't feel like it. Not after all that happened the last 12 hours. Deciding to not break her head over it , she pushed herself up and walked over to the stairs so she could prepare for the day. Maybe finish her plead for the case she was currently working on before she had to go to her parents.

* * *

Pulling into the closest parking spot, Emma reached over inside the glove compartment to fish out her gun and badge. Moving some papers around, she finally found the things she needed. She really needed to clean out her car. The yellow bug had been the first thing she bought for herself when she had her first paycheck. It was old, but darn if it wasn't sturdy. It had it's weird quirks, but it was part of the charm.

Getting out of her car, she clipped her badge and gun to her belt and walked over to the entrance. Nodding to a few officers leaving for patrol, she slipped in and went straight for the elevators to the third floor where her department was. Knowing she would find Graham there.

Stepping out of the elevator, she already noticed the file laying on top of her desk. Walking over to it, she took of her jacket and dropped it over her chair. Dropping herself into her chair, she pulled the file closer and started reading.

After 15 minutes it was very clear that they had nothing. The boy was either too scared to say something or too smart. Or maybe both. If she was right about the gangs and mobs using kids, that may be a good thing for him. They didn't even know where he had been before they found him on that playground. Turning to the last page, it was a report from Officer Clark about his response to a 911 call. Closing the file, she grabbed it and went over to Graham's office.

Going in without knocking, she threw the file on his desk.

"Mills?" She questioned.

"Mills." He confirmed.

"Mills." She said again in disbelief, putting her hands in her side.

"Can we stop saying the name and going in circles here?" Graham questioned.

"You have to be kidding me!" Emma said, running a hand through her hair.

"No I am not."

"How did she get involved in this?" Emma said as she started pacing in front of her lieutenant desk. "I mean, Cora Mills is anal over these kind of things. How come her daughter has gotten involved in this?" She asked, looking over very expectantly at her former partner.

"Life?" He said with a shrug.

"Really? Life? That's your answer?" Meeting another shrug, Emma started pacing the office again. "I mean, it's the best kept public secret that Cora Mills is THE gangster lawyer in this town. Especially for the King's gang. So tell me, what are the odds?" Being met with another shrug, Emma gave up and pulled out a chair.

"You done now?"

"For now I think."Emma said as she sagged down in the chair a little. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to work this case. And…"

"This isn't an organized crime case!" Emma interrupted. "The boy was found covered in blood, not with drugs stuffed in his pockets that screamed gangs. It's more something for homicide."

"What do you want me to say Emma?" Graham said with a sigh as he rubbed his head, but was met with nothing more than a pointed look. "Fine Emma. You might have been on to something when you told me about your theory." Raising up a hand to block whatever was on the blonde's lips, he continued. "But, it's not only about your theory. Since Mills' daughter is involved the higher ups believe that this is an opportunity to take down of few head pieces from the underworld. We can't blow this Emma, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We need to get this right."

"Get it right for who?" Emma questioned as she leaned closer to the desk. "Get it right for the safety in the streets or get it right to put a medal on someone's chest and make some politicians a little more popular?"

"Emma…" Graham said with a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair.

"Fine Graham." Emma said as she stood up abruptly. "I won't ask any questions, but don't let me down when I need back-up from you." Looking closely at her old partner, Emma knew the words had hit home somehow. Receiving a little nod, she knew that it was all she was going to get. "I will go talk to the boy and see if I can get anything out of him."

"Before you do that, I just got the report from the lab." Grabbing a thin file that was laying upon his desk.

"Cliff notes version?"

"I didn't had a chance to read it myself." Graham said as he handed her the file.

"Okay, I will go through it and then talk to the boy." Emma said as she stood up, file in hand. "Oh and has there been made arrangements for the boy?"

"Not yet. They didn't have the time."

"What!?" Emma shouted. "You have got to be kidding me! They are bringing the whole investigation in jeopardy! What was Nolan thinking? The kid is a minor! He can't just be questioned without a lawyer or a parent present!"

"I know Emma, I already talked to his supervisor."

"God! Incompetence much?"

"Well I think Regina Mills called it 'inefficiency' according to Officer Clark."

"Well, that's indeed another way to put it!" Emma went on. "I mean, it really works in the suspects benefit. Let alone the benefit of the others that are involved."

"Emma!" Graham yelled, effectively stopping the detective from continuing on with her little rant. "We can fix it now! We'll give it a spin that we weren't able to contact anyone due to the late hour and that we asked him some basic questions. It will work."

"Fine! I will take care of it. But this kind of actions are the thing that could break take this case down in court." Emma snapped before she walked out of the office.

Still ragging about the incompetence of her colleague in homicide, she sat down behind her desk, determined to make sure everything went right from now on. Graham had a point when he said that this could be a big opportunity in making the gangs and mobs sweat and take down some high ranked people within it.

Getting to work she started scribbling down her line of thoughts. Wanting to make sure that she didn't forget anything down the road. She would make sure that this case was going to work out! She would make it her mission to do so!


	3. Chapter 3

Gold sat behind his desk inside the White building. Turning around so he could look outside, he overlooked the city. His mind was still worried about what happed the night before. Although he called in the best lawyer they had, he still had a dreadful feeling about the whole debacle.

It had been a good idea to start using foster kids to transport drug within the city. It all had been going splendid. Thanks to Blue, they had found a fair amount of children 'willing' to work for them. They worked on the 'willingness' when needed, but most of them didn't need the push. They used the kids that were on their last legs within the system and that was working out very well for the business. There were a few kids who could use a reminder, but that was swiftly handled along the way. Just like last night was supposed to go. But it hadn't gone according to plan.

Still worried about the gut feeling he had, he turned around again. Picking up his phone he hit the speed dial.

"Boss." Came the groggy response after 2 rings.

"Hook." Gold said as he leaned back into his chair. "How did the clean up go?"

"Fine. All is cleaned up and there are no traces back to us."

"Excellent. Let's hope you didn't screw up this time." Came the cold response. Knowing what it could do to the people working for him. "I got another job for you."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"You need to find a way to scare the boy into silence." Gold started with his explanation. "So that he will be scared enough not talk to the police or to whatever legal advice person they have assigned him at this point."

"Sure boss."

"Oh and Hook. Just a threat and nothing more. Am I clear?"

"Crystal."

With that Gold ended the call. Satisfied with the mechanisms he had put to work on this whole situation, it was time to focus on the business again. He had to go over all the figures before it was time for the weekly meeting.

* * *

Closing the file in front of her, she let out a sigh and leaned back into her chair. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to file away the information the lab results had given her. The nerds had found 2 different blood types on the shirt of the kid. They were running it through the system but it could take ages before they got a hit. Other than that, they found that the 2 people weren't related and that one of them really liked heroine.

She had found a way to spin the interrogation in their interest, but it still stood on some shaky foundations. It had been very stupid of Nolan to question the boy without taking the necessary steps. It was the first thing that they learned, make sure that everything will hold up in court but sometimes that lesson didn't stick. She would shove it under Nolan's nose the next time she saw him. And maybe she could convince Ruby to confront her partner about it as well.

Grabbing her phone she saw that it was almost noon. At that realization she noticed that she was starving. Except for the coffee and the bearclaw she had this morning, she hadn't had anything really substantial. Deciding that it would do her good to find some food before she would interrogate the boy, she put away the files inside her desk.

Picking up her jacket, she decided that she would go across the street to the dinner shop to find herself some lunch. Before she even finished zipping up her jacket her phone rang. Letting out a soft sigh, she picked up the offending device.

"Swan speaking." She said as she locked her phone between her cheek and her shoulder as she tried to zip up her jacket.

"Detective." The deep voice of Mike who was manning the front desk came through. "Mrs. Mill just arrived and demands to speak to her client."

"And who might that be?" Emma asked, knowing all too well who she was referring to.

"The boy Leroy brought in."

"Thought so already." Emma said with a sigh, running a hand through her hair. "How pissed does she look?"

"Not more than usually." Mike mumbled into the phone.

"Oh, she standing close isn't she." Emma said with a chuckle. "You know, I think it would do her some good to wait a little while I get some food."

"Swan." The man almost whined to her. "Don't do this to me again."

"Come on Mike, it will be the Darrell-case all over again."

"That's what I'm afraid of." The man said with a sigh of his own, probably remembering the time Emma decided to push Lawyer Mills buttons by making her wait 3 hours. That little joke had turned into hell for Mike who had to undergo Cora Mills' wrath during that time. Thank god the man had survived the whole ordeal with only some mental scars and the promise of some free beer in this future.

"I won't take that long this time." Emma said grabbing the last of her stuff from her desk. "I promise!"

"You better not be Swan. You still owe me for last time."

"I know, I know." Emma said pocketing her wallet. "You know, I will bring you back a beef sandwich."

"And a chocolate shake."

"Fine. Beef sandwich and a chocolate shake. Are we going to stay friends that way?" Emma asked innocently.

"Whatever Swan. Just hurry back." The man said before putting down the phone, probably mentally preparing himself to undergo the torture that was Cora Mills. Chuckling to herself, Emma walked out of the precinct towards the sandwich shop across the street.

* * *

Waking from the hard footsteps coming closer to his cell, Henry sat up in a daze. He hadn't been able to sleep all night, every time he closed his eyes he saw the scene playing in front of him again. So he had just given up on sleep and tried to stay awake to not hear the screams filling his head. But seems like exhaustion had caught up with him anyways.

Sitting up from the cot he rubbed his eyes and tried to ignore his stiff muscles in his back and legs. Must be from all the running he had done yesterday. Hearing the steps stop in front of his cell door, he pushed himself up completely, hoping that they would offer him some more information about what was going to happen to him now.

"Here's your lunch." The scruffy policeman said as he handed Henry a tray with a some mashed potatoes, green beans and what seemed meatloaf and a glass of water on it.

"Thank you." Henry whispered, accepting the tray now realizing how hungry he really was. "Euhm, do you know what is going to happen to me?" He asked with a tiny voice.

"The usual." The honest response came. "They going to ask you some questions and from then on it depends on what they find out and what the higher ups decide." The man said with a shrug. "It also depends on what your lawyer can do for you."

"Lawyer?" He questioned.

"Don't worry kid, the state will find someone to defend you. Now eat up."

Nodding at the man, Henry turned around and sat down on the cot with the plate balancing on his knees. Picking up his fork he took a small bite of potatoes, instantly regretting his decision as it tasted a lot like the powder from the box they were probably made of. Taking a few more bites to satisfy his hunger at least a little, he put the tray on the cot next to him.

Glancing at the tray again, he noticed a little piece of paper sticking out from under the plate. Getting curious he lifted it up and picked up the folded piece of paper.

His curiosity peaked as he opened up the paper, deep down knowing that it probably wouldn't be a good thing. Turning it around so he could read the scribbles that were on it.

'Keep your mouth shut.'

That was all that was written on the little piece of paper. Feeling panic coming up again, he looked around seeing if someone was watching him. Who had put the paper there? The policeman? Or someone else?

Glancing around once more, he let out a deep sigh and let himself sack a little more on the cot. He would keep his mouth shut, that was for sure. But what was going to happen with him? If he didn't give the police what they wanted, what would they do with him? But what would they do with them if he did talk?

Feeling tears making their way down his cheeks, he let his head rest against the wall. For the first time regretting the fact that he had ran off in fear. He was at a loss, not knowing where to go or who he could trust. Closing his eyes, he let the rest of his tears fall as he tried to shut off his mind. Not wanting to think about any of it anymore.

* * *

Swallowing her last bite of grilled cheese, Emma grabbed her mug of hot chocolate. Signaling to Sherry behind the counter that they could start on her second order so Mike would be happy. Taking small sips from the hot liquid, she wondered how pissed off Cora Mills was getting at this moment. Feeling a small smile tug at the corners of her mouth, she drank the last of her drink as she got a wave from the waitress behind the counter.

Grabbing her wallet, she walked over to the counter and paid what she owed them. Taking the bag that was offered to her, Emma pushed open the door and crossed the street to the precinct. Entering through the main entrance, she walked over to the front desk that Mike was manning that day.

"One beef sandwich with a large chocolate shake. As ordered." Emma said as she put the bag down on the front desk.

"At least you deliver as promised. Unlike last time." Came the grumpy response.

"So how is she?"

"She's almost on point I think."

"It's only been a half hour."

"My point exactly." Mike said as he snatched the bag from the desk, talking out his sandwich.

"Well okay then." Emma said with a playful sigh. "Guess I will set everything up so she can talk with her client."

"That might be a good idea." The officer mumbled around a mouthful.

"I will call you when the boy is in the interrogation room. Then you can send her up." The detective said as she retreated back to the elevators. Receiving just a nod, she turned around and pushed the up button. "Oh and Mike." Emma called out as the door slid open. "Make sure you are on your best behavior in front of her. I'm sure she doesn't like to be talked to by someone who has some sauce on his nose." She said as she stepped inside the elevator backwards, pointing at her own nose, giving Mike a massive grin.

As the doors closed, she reached inside her pocket fishing out her phone. Forming the number that she needed, she stepped out of the elevator towards her desk.

"Hey Paul. Could you bring out the boy to interrogation room 3?" Emma asked the man who had picked up her call while dodging some officers walking through the hallway.

"Sure thing Swan."

"Thanks." Emma replied while she sunk in her chair. Putting her phone aside, she wondered how the next hour was going to go. Knowing she could go through the file one last time before she was going to talk to the lawyer and the boy. Taking out the file, she knew by heart by now, she laid it on her desk. Seeing the different post-its she had put on it, she started to go over them again, making sure that everything was correct and she knew what buttons to push with Mills.

Taking up her phone again, she dialed Mike's number.

"You ready for it?" She asked when she heard the deep voice greeting her.

"I don't think I'll ever be." Mike grumbled.

"Well, at least try to be at your best behavior!"

"Whatever Swan." He said as she heard him getting up. Greeted with the familiar dial tone, Emma smiled as she stood up and grabbed her file. Taking a note pad and a pen, she put her phone in her pocket again and walked out the organized crime unit. She just hoped that she could get a little further on the case, so they would have something to go on tomorrow.

* * *

Hearing footsteps coming closer to his cell again, Henry pushes himself in a sitting position again. Whipping off the remains of his tears, he shook his head a little to clear his head. He looked toward the door and saw the officer who brought him his lunch.

"Come to the door." The man said as he pulled out some key. "And put your hands against the wall."

Putting his confusion aside, Henry got up and walked over to the door. Putting his hands on the wall, he closed his eyes, feeling the coldness coming from the wall. Hearing the door open, he opened his eyes again, seeing the man coming into his cell.

"Turn towards me and put your both hands out."

Doing exactly as instructed, his mind twirled with all that might happen from now on. But what was going to happen exactly? As the cold handcuffs made contact with his skin, his shoulders sagged. Glancing up to the man, he saw a tiny smile that was supposed to be comforting, but it wasn't doing anything for him. He felt helpless.

"Let's go." The policeman said as he took Henry by one of his shoulders, guiding him outside of his cell. "You don't have to look so scared. They are just going to talk to you." Feeling the soft squeeze on his shoulder, Henry looked sideways to the man, seeing the tiny smile again. Just letting out a sigh, he didn't knew if talking was a good thing, considering the note he just had.

Stepping inside the elevator, he thought about how different his life would have been if somebody would've taken him in as their own when he had lost his mother. Maybe it wouldn't have been perfect, but at least he wouldn't be here and he wouldn't have experienced the last 24 hours. It was funny how other people decided how his life turned out, while he had no choice in a matter that was completely his.

The ding of the elevator got him out of his sad and depressing thoughts as the doors opened. The guiding hand found home on his shoulder again as he received a little push to step into the familiar hallway. Being guided further down the hall, he noticed that it was fairly quiet unlike yesterday. It had been crawling with skimpy dressed women who were guided in and out the interrogation rooms with practiced ease. He had blushed when one woman had winked at him which had earned him a chuckle or two.

The policeman stopped him and guided him into a room very similar to the one he had been in yesterday. The only difference were the posters who decorated the wall.

"Take a seat." The man said as he released his shoulder. Taking the room in, Henry walked over to the side with 2 chairs. Awkwardly pulling out a chair with his cuffed hands so he could take a seat. "Those will go off once your lawyer is here." Nodding as he remembered what the man had told him when he had brought his lunch.

"Okay." Henry said softly, wondering what he would tell the lawyer about the whole situation.

"I will be right outside the room, don't think about running or doing something stupid." The policeman said sternly. "We have eyes and ears on you all the time."

Looking around the room he saw 2 cameras hanging in opposite corners and right in front of him there was probably a 2 sided mirror. He hadn't noticed the camera's yesterday. Giving the man another soft nod that he had understood the position he was in, he let himself sag a little in the chair.

Hearing the policeman leaving the room, he let out a deep sigh. He was still thinking about what he would say to the lawyer that had been appointed to him. Let alone what he would say against the police if they kept asking him questions. Feeling tears stinging in his eyes again, he took a deep breath and pushed them back.

He heard some rustling at the door of the interrogation room. Looking over at the door, he saw it open and a very static woman entered. He took her in and saw a fake smile plastered on her face. He knew all about those, he had seen his fair share of those every time he entered a new home. At the hand of the smile he always could gauge the kind of person he had in front of him. And looking at this woman's smile it wasn't looking very good.

She seemed like a very cold and calculated woman. The last time he had seen this kind of smile, he had left the home with more scars than he could count. Suppressing the shiver he felt taking home at the base of his spine as those memories came back, he decided then and there that he couldn't trust her.

"Hello Henry." The woman said, as she walked further into the room. Henry could just nod at her, afraid that his voice would tremble if he said something to her at this moment. "I'm Cora Mills, your lawyer." She said as she walked over to the empty chair next to him. She put down the briefcase she was holding next to her and started to take of her jacket. "I have asked the detective to give us some time to talk a little."

"Okay." He said as he kept his eyes on her, not trusting her for a second.

"Well then," Cora said as she took a seat next to him, smiling at the boy. "I will start. Okay?" Receiving an affirmative nod from the child, she gave him her warmest smile, which didn't really mean anything. "I'm here because you are in some trouble." Getting another nod, she continued. "I'm here to help you, so I will need you to follow my orders so I can do that. If not there will be consequences that you and me both want to avoid. Am I clear?" Hearing the hidden warning, something clicked for Henry.

"Who send you?" Henry asked, voicing his doubts about the sincerity of the woman sitting next to him. Seeing the evil smile spreading, he knew that he was right for not trusting her.

"Smart boy." Cora said and that was the only affirmative answer he needed to know that the King's clan had send her to make sure that he wouldn't say or do anything that could harm them. "Just do as I say Henry and all will be fine." Cora continued. "This is how it's going to go. Listen carefully little boy because I will only tell you once." Grabbing his chin between her fingers so he would look at her. "You will say nothing. Even when they ask you what you want for dinner, just keep that little mouth of yours shut and let me do the rest. I've been playing this came for a long time now and I will see what I can do to get you out of this." Releasing him again, she turned to the side to get something out of her briefcase.

"How…" Henry started his question, but was stopped as a finger was held up in order to stop him.

"When I said you should keep your mouth shut, I want you to do it when I'm around you as well. If I need to know something from you, I will ask then you can answer." She said as she put the legal pad, pen and a file in front of her. "Understood?" Cora said looking at him again. Receiving a small nod, she looked away again and started to go through the file in front of her, completely ignoring the boy that was sitting next to her.

* * *

Emma had been watching the interaction between the two people sitting on the other side of the glass. She had noticed the cold demeanor of the lawyer towards the boy and the look of understanding that had flashed over the boys face. It was nothing new, she knew how Cora handled her clients. Cold and calculated.

The detective knew for sure that when she entered the room, the kid wouldn't say a word whatever question she might ask him. Cora Mills always instructed her clients to not utter a word. She somehow instilled fear into them, so that they wouldn't slip up either. Emma had learned that the hard way.

Deciding that it was time to see if her assumption was right, she grabbed her things from the table behind her and walked out of the room. Giving a soft nod to Paul who opened the door for her so she could step in. He followed her inside, as she needed someone to sit with her during the interrogation according to protocol.

Giving Paul a little nod, the man walked over to Henry to take of his cuffs. As she sat down in front of them she saw him rubbing his wrist a little.

"Thank you." The boy whispered, which earned him a glare from the woman sitting next to him. Guess that wasn't part of the plan. Hiding her grin, she opened the file she brought in with her and went through some papers as Paul took his place next to the door.

"So Henry," Emma started. "Would you like to tell me what happened to you last night?" She asked as she looked at the boy. Seeing the boy made no intention of answering her, she looked over at the woman sitting next to him.

"My client has nothing to say to you Detective." Cora said with that victorious smirk on her face she always sported when she knew that Emma was going to get nowhere.

"Are you sure about that?" Emma said as she pulled out some papers. "Because according to the file I got from the lab, I can charge him with accomplish for double murder. Seeing the amount of blood that was found on his body." Seeing the boy turn his head up to her before the last words even left her mouth. At least she could get a reaction out of him. But not for long as Cora held her hand up before the boy could say anything. She knew her accusation was empty, because there was no way that the boy could've helped killing 2 people. Even the lab report said so, due to spatter patrons and all that. And of course a fair amount of lack of evidence.

"That is a big accusation." Cora said, folding her hand in front of her on the table. "Are you sure you want to take that road Detective?"

"At this point, why not?" Emma said trying to bait the boy. "I mean, we have enough evidence that will hold up in court." She said looking straight at the boy now, seeing fear in his eyes.

"And what evidence might that be then?" Cora asked calmly not being influenced by the detective at all. Taking out some papers, Emma looked over at Henry. Seeing his focus was on the table, probably trying not to look at her. Putting the papers in front of the lawyer, she gave her some time to look them over. Knowing that Cora wouldn't fall for it.

"This is nothing Detective." Cora said as she put the papers in front of the Detective again. "And you know it."

"Might be, but it will only a matter of time before we find the crime scene." Emma said. "And if we do, we will find a whole lot of more where that came from." The detective said pointing at the papers in front of her.

"Well, until then, we will be waiting for the court hearing to see if my client will stay in custody and what amount of bail will be set."

"Fair enough." Emma said, knowing that she wouldn't get anything out of the boy or Cora Mills today. Seeing the lawyer gathering her papers and putting them inside her briefcase. Emma knew that it was over for today.

"Ah before I forget," Cora said as she stood up. "My client will not be questioned without my presence."

"Of course not, he's a minor." Emma responded with a smile.

"Perfect." The lawyer said as she pulled on her jacket and picked up her briefcase.

"Oh Mrs. Mills." Emma said as the woman reached the door. "Please thank your daughter for me. Without her we wouldn't be here now." Seeing Cora stiffen up at her comment, Emma let a smirk take over her face. Score for Swan!

Without saying a word, the lawyer pulled open the door a little more forcefully than necessary and walked out with sturdy steps. Hearing a whistle from Paul, she turned to him and gave him a little smile. Looking over at the boy again, she started gathering her own papers noticing that he still avoided looking at her.

"You are in a hard spot Kid." Emma said as she stood up. "If you let me, I can help you get out of this mess. I'm not saying it would go without some bumps in the road, but I would try my utmost best to keep you from harm." As she said the words, Henry looked up to her, so she made sure that he could only see honesty in her eyes. "But don't take too long to figure out what you are going to do." With that she also took her leave, giving Paul a nod that he could take the kid back to his cell.

Standing at her desk again, she let herself drop in her chair. She knew that she had been harsh on the boy, but she needed to let him feel that she was serious, because honestly she didn't knew a lot about the boy. She was still waiting on social service to send over the file so she could find out some more about his background. She would wait on that before she would take further steps. They had promised her that the file would be here by tonight, so she still had tomorrow to try to figure out how to approach him.

Letting out a sigh, she booted up her computer so she could type up a report of the conversation. Knowing that it wasn't going to be a very extensive document since they hadn't touched anything new. But at least she had to put it on paper and report back to Graham before she could call it a day.

* * *

Shutting off her car, Regina glances in her rearview mirror to check up on her hair and make-up. Knowing that if anything was out of place, her mother will not leave her alone for the rest of the evening. Letting out a sigh, she knew it was a lost cause anyways, how hard she tried, her mother found something to bother her about every time she visited. That's why she tried to limit her time being in her parent's presence as much as she could.

From the moment she was born her mother had raised her to excel at everything. School, friends, sports, you name it, but Regina had the burden to be the best at it. She owed it to her 'parent's status' according to her mother. A Mills doesn't do anything mediocre. And her father, the coward that he had always been, had nothing to say about it. He tried to tone his wife down a little, but that didn't work. He was as much under the thumb of Cora Mills as she was.

The pressure that had been on her shoulders had always felt suffocating. As a teenager she had been very drawn back and hadn't interacted with a whole lot of people. Except of course from the mandatory chat she had with people her mother approved off. Katherine had been, and still is, her only friend. Thank god the other woman wasn't easily scared by Cora, otherwise she would've ran for the hills a very long time ago with all the stuff her mother had put them through.

Chuckling lightly as the very little found memories from her teenage years flooded her mind, she tore her eyes away from the rear view mirror letting her eyes wander to the big mansion that she used to call home. It had been a blessing to be able to go to college and after that getting a first apartment of her own. It had taken her away from the very watch full eye of her mother and given her a chance to explore who she really was. Not that Cora had let go of her completely, but still, she had her chance of developing herself without her mother looking over her shoulder in everything she did.

Her mother had pushed her into going to law school and to her surprise she had found that she really liked it. Although not the way her mother intended it for her, but that didn't matter at that point. She was doing something she loved and her mother didn't get in her way.

She wasn't blind or naive, she knew how her mother had become and stayed the powerful lawyer that she now was. Although many thought she was ignorant of it, including her parents. She had seen enough people pass the threshold of their house and heard enough whispers but she just chose to ignore them. Instead she tried to live her own life and tried to be a better person than her mother ever was. She knew she could come over as cold and bitchy at times, but that was more in self defense then anything else. There had been enough people that had tried to take advantage of in her adult life to get into her mother's good graces. So she was always rather guarded when she met new people, something Katherine made fun of on many occasion.

Grabbing her phone and purse, she knew she couldn't stay in her car any longer. Letting out a deep sigh, she opened the door and stepped out in the evening chill. Holding her jacket close to her body, she made her way over to the front door. She didn't even need to ring the doorbell as the door went open on its own accord.

"Well Regina, I thought you were going to sit there all night." Cora said as she offered her cheeck to her daughter so she could place a kiss on it.

"I had a business call Mother." Regina replied as she drew back from the quick show of affection and started to hang up her own jacket.

"How are things in the world of insurance law if they have to call you this late in the evening?" Her mother asked as she ushered Regina to the living room. If you could call it that, because there never had been too much living in it.

"All is well Mother. I had asked my secretary for some information on a case that I need to complete this weekend, but she had not yet delivered it." Receiving a little nod from her Mother in acceptance of her very weak explanation, she accepted the glass that was offered to her. "Where is Daddy?" Regina asked as she brought the glass to her lips. How much of a coward her father was and still is, he always could defuse a few of the more heated moments of her mother. He was a great buffer between the 2 women.

"He's getting changed. He will be down any minute." Her mother said as she gathered her own glass. "He went golfing with Robin's father." Barely containing an eye roll, Regina hide her annoyance at the name behind her glass. "Have you spoke to Robin lately?"

"No Mother." Regina sighed.

"Well, it is a real shame Dear." Cora said. "He would make an amazing husband."

Regina was happy that she didn't have to respond to that as her father joined them.

"Aaah, the lost daughter returns home." Her father said as he walked over and gave her a quick hug. Pulling a soft smile from his daughter's lips.

"It hasn't been that long Daddy." Regina said as she retreated from his embrace.

"Well, it always seem an eternity for me." Henry said softly, looking up at this daughter, catching her eye. Regina adverted her gaze quickly as she saw the hurt and genuine love in his eyes. For all his flaws, he did truly care about his daughter and she knew he took to heart a lot of things that had happened to her during her life.

"How did your game go?" Regina asked, quickly defusing the emotions that were spinning around.

"It went very well dear." Her father said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Still executing that killer swing I presume?" Regina said in an amusing tone.

"Of course." He said, taking his stand and showing her his swing. "I'm still the best one at the club."

"I'm sure you are Daddy."

"Well, if you both are done with your antics maybe we could go take our places at the table and start dinner?" Cora asked in a cold demeanor.

"Of course Mother." Regina said, straightening up immediately. Seeing as her father only gave a nod in agreement. Following the older woman through the door to the dining room, she glanced at her father. She knew that the moment was over for the rest of the evening. And who knew what else the evening could bring?


	4. Chapter 4

Sitting in her study with a glass of cider, Regina thought back about the dinner she had with her parents some hours ago. Know she knew why she had had the invitation for dinner. There was always a catch if her mother invited her over she thought as she took a sip from her glass. This time her mother had sent her a silent threat to keep quiet. And not to inquire about the boy any further than she already had.

 _Mill's house, dinner a few hours ago._

 _Dinner had been a silent affair, as it almost always has been in the Mills household, which had given Regina the time to think about the events that occurred the night before. She had been able to suppress them during the day by keeping her mind occupied with work but now she didn't have the distraction. Pushing around the last bit of food in her plate, she wondered how the boy was doing and if he was safe._

 _"_ _Is something wrong with the food Regina?" Cora asked, looking at her daughter's plate where she had been pushing the last piece of chicken around._

 _"_ _Of course not Mother." Regina said as she put her utensils down. "I'm just not that hungry."_

 _"_ _Are you not feeling well?" Her father asked, concern seeping through his eyes._

 _"_ _I'm fine Daddy. I think the week is catching up on me, that's all." Regina said looking over at her father with a small smile._

 _"_ _Did something happen in the firm?" Her mother asked._

 _"_ _No nothing like that. It was just a busy week." Regina dodged the question. Averting her gaze from the gauging look from her mother._

 _"_ _Are you sure Dear?" Cora said questionably, it was as if she knew Regina wasn't telling the truth._

 _"_ _Of course Mother." Regina said, picking up her water glass to take a sip._

 _"_ _Talking about work," Henry said as he looked as his wife, "How did it go at the police station today?"_

 _"_ _It went well. It was just some young boy that needed a pro deo lawyer." Came the calm response as her mother reached for the wine bottle to pour herself another glass. Feeling eyes on her, Regina didn't dare to ask anything as she took another sip from her water. She knew it was too much of a coincidence to not be correct. Her mother was defending the boy that had ran into her. She knew that she couldn't ask any question but she was sure her mother knew the boy had ran into her. Realization dawned on her as she now realized that the boy was in some deep trouble as her mother was involved. Now she wouldn't be able to rest her mind about him for sure!_

 _"_ _Well, let's hope you can help him in some way." Regina's father said, not seeing the inner turmoil from his daughter was in._

 _"_ _Yes, I hope so as well." Cora said, not taking her eyes from her daughter. "I wouldn't want any child of mine related to the mess that boy is in." And there it was, the acknowledgement and the threat to stay out of it in one sentence. Setting her glass down again, Regina looked in the direction of her mother and saw it clearly in her mother's eyes as well. Giving a little nod, Regina focused on the tale her father had started telling about his afternoon golf game._

After her father's story, it hadn't taken Regina long to excuse herself to get home. Twirling the last of her cider in her glass, she didn't really knew what to do about the whole situation now. She had planned to go to the police station on Monday and inquire on the boy, but now, with her mother's involvement it didn't seem like a very good idea any more.

Emptying her glass with one last sip, she walked out of her study to dispose her glass in the kitchen. Leaning against the kitchen island, she let out a sigh. Maybe a good night rest would open up some ideas on how to proceed further.

Letting out a sigh, she cleaned out her glass and put it in the dishwasher. Turning off all the lights on her way up, she felt the exhaustion of the last days settle in her body. Yeah, some sleep would be most welcome.

* * *

Laying on his cot, Henry stared at the ceiling of his cell. It all felt like a dream. If someone had told him what would happen to him in these last 2 days, he would've laughed it all away. Because it would seem like something from a movie. But here he was, staring at a ceiling in an orange jumpsuit laying on a lumpy mattress with a very scratchy blanket on it.

Thinking about the lawyer they had send to him, he let out a sigh. He couldn't expect a lot of help from that side since it was clear who had send her to him. He wasn't naïf though, he knew they had send her for their best interest not his. But the only question was, would they let him take the fall for it all or will they try to get him out of this? And if it was the latter, how would his life look like then? Would they keep him under their thumb or would they let him go? What would become of his life?

Turning on his side facing the wall as those questions swam through his mind, the words the detective said to him before she left the room came back to him. Could he really believe her? He hadn't sensed insincerity when she had said the words but anyone could perfect the art of lying in her line of work. Sighing once again , he closed his eyes hoping that his mind would give him some nightmares free sleep.

* * *

Sunday morning didn't mean sleeping in for Cora Mills. She had been up since 7am, alternating between staring outside and pacing around her desk in her home office. Her mind went back to the dinner she had with daughter the night before.

The words hadn't been spoken out but she hoped that she had gotten her message across. It had been subtle enough so her husband hadn't noticed, but she had seen in her daughter's reaction that she hit home somehow. She just hoped that her silent threat was good enough to make sure that her daughter did keep out of it. She knew her daughter was aware of how she had made it big in her field, but nobody ever spoke about it. That had kept her family safe and had made her name even stronger as she could offer discretion to her clients, criminals or not.

Letting herself fall in her chair again, she rubbed her temples slowly. Only time would tell how good her grip on Regina still was, she just hoped for her daughter's sake that it was still firm enough. If this case played out wrong it could and would take her and a lot of other important people down with it. The police wasn't stupid enough to not see the opportunity that her daughter's involvement offered to break through in some way. Every blow that they could bring to the Kings clan was a good one in their book. But maybe this time they could give the Kings a good blow and make them run on a very low key for a while and that would be bad for all parties involved.

Her phone ringing got her out of her thinking. Glancing at her screen, she subdued a unladylike eye roll but she allowed herself the deep sigh before she pressed the screen in order to accept the call.

"Cora Mills speaking." She said, glad her voice still sounded strong.

"Ah, seems like I'm not the only early riser." Came the cold voice.

"Indeed not." Cora said as she leaned back into her chair. "To what do I owe this early call?"

"To ease my curiosity." Gold said. "How did it go yesterday?"

"It went as expected." She answered truthfully.

"So what's the plan now?"

"We have to wait until Monday. Then the case will come before a judge and he will decide if there will be set a bail or not." Cora said as she turned her chair around so see could look outside her window. "After that, it will all depend on the investigation from the police."

"Should we bail the boy out?"

"It would probably be best for us. Then we can keep watch over him and make sure that he doesn't compromise everything." She said after thinking about it for a few seconds.

"Yes, I think that is wise indeed." Gold said thoughtfully. "It's in moments like these that I realize why we work together." He said with a chuckle.

"How did Hook's clean up go?" Cora said, refusing to being baited by the man.

"You don't need to worry about that, Dearie."

"Let's hope not. You know this case could have a very bad outcome. Especially now, it's a crucial time."

"I'm aware Cora. Believe me I am." Gold said with a sigh. "Seem like we both have our work ahead of us."

"So it seems indeed." Cora said before disconnecting.

Getting out of her chair, she put her phone on her desk again before walking out of her home office. She would need something to go along with her coffee before she really started her working Sunday.

* * *

Emma parked her yellow bug alongside some patrol cars. Seeing as it was Sunday, part of them were still parked in their usual spots. Grabbing her stuff from the glove compartment, she knew that she would be one of the few people who would be sitting at a desk today. How much she hated being on call in the weekend, she secretly liked the silence a Sunday offered. From Monday till Friday, it was one rush in and out the building and between departments. But Sundays were usual quiet and peaceful. It usually gave you the time to catch up on some lingering cases, but this time there was a new case that demanded her attention.

Locking her car, she made her way inside the building, greeting Mike on her way up. She let herself drop in her chair with a soft sigh. Peeling of her jacket she scanned her desk and saw that she had gotten the file from foster care. At least they had kept their promise for once. Pulling the file closer she started reading the boy's story, hoping that she would find a clue or anything to go on for that matter.

10 minutes into her reading her phone started ringing.

"Swan." She said answering without even looking at the caller ID.

"You have a problem." Mike's deep voice came through the line.

"What did I do?" Emma asked confused, finally looking away from the file at the accusation.

"There is another Mill's woman here for you." Mike said softly. "Resembles the older version somewhat but less scary."

"What does she want?" Emma asked.

"She wants some information on the case."

"Well, you did tell her that it's not procedure to give information on an ongoing case right."

"Did I already tell you her last name is Mills?" Mike grumbled in the phone.

"Yeah, okay, pit bull qualities. Not letting go of stuff." Emma said with a sigh, thinking that the daughter resembled her mother more than Mike thought. "How long do you think I could make this Mills wait?" She said with a soft chuckle, knowing it would set Mike off.

"I swear to god Swan, if you don't get your ass down here in the next 5 minutes I will personally escort the lady up to your desk!" And there was the reaction. Letting out a soft laugh she knew that there was some pleading coming now. "Please Swan, I already had my quota of Mills women for at least 4 months."

"Fine Mike. I will come down to talk to her." She said with a last chuckle.

"You got 2 minutes!" Mike said before he disconnected the call.

Shaking her head softly, she stood up and put her phone in her pocket. Grabbing note block and a pen, she started to make her way to the elevators. Stepping inside she realized that this was also her chance to ask the lawyer a few questions herself. She had actually planned on calling her on Monday to schedule a meeting. Guess she had the opportunity to ask her questions now. She wondered how the conversation would go, knowing how hard Cora Mills made her life sometimes, she hoped that this Mills would be more compliant. Stepping out of the elevator she walked over to Mike's desk.

"So where is my visitor Mike?"

"She's in the visitors room waiting for you." He said as he pointed at the room to the end of the hall without looking up from his papers.

"Thanks Mike." She said as she turned around and walked over to the visitors room. Last time she had been in there, it was for the identification of a young boy's body who had been involved in some drugs trafficking that had gone terribly wrong. Shaking off the dark memories of the crying parents, she knocked softly on the door to announce her presence she opened the door.

Stepping inside the room she met Regina Mills in person for the first time. She had seen her in a few pictures over the years, but those didn't do her justice at all. Mike had been wrong about the resemblance between mother and daughter. Where the features of Cora Mills were hard and cold, her daughter gave a warmer and softer vibe. Although the look that the woman pointed at her could very well be the same one her mother threw at Emma every time they saw each other.

"Miss Mills." Emma said as she walked over to the table where Regina was seated. "I'm Detective Emma Swan." The other woman only tipped her head in acknowledgement as Emma took a seat across from her. "I'm glad you came by, I was going to contact you tomorrow to schedule a meeting to talk about what happened Friday night. My colleague told me that you had some questions, but if it's okay I will answer those at the end." The detective said, taking lead of the conversation immediately.

"I see." Regina said stiffly as she leaned forward a little, taken back a little by the strong appearance of the woman seated across her now. Seeing the woman tense up, Emma took her time to flip her pages of her notebook giving Regina some time to relax again. Guess she hadn't thought they wanted to ask her some questions as well. "I have told your colleagues at least two times what happened. I must be somewhere in those papers that are taking over your desk at the moment." And there it was, she really couldn't deny her heritage for long so it seemed.

"Indeed you did, but I'm afraid they forgot to ask a question that I really would like answered."

"Seeing as those two men were drenched in inefficiency and incompetence, I'm not really that surprised." Regina said as she leaned back in her chair, annoyance present in her features."

Hiding a smile, Emma understood what she meant. She had seen who had responded to the call and felt sorry for her but there was nothing that she could do about it now. Both men were fine policemen, but they tended to go a little overboard in name of the law. Not on the wrong side, but they just wanted to do a perfect job, but sometimes failed miserably. They tried to keep the amount of times those two had to work together to a minimum, but there was only so much that the police force could do to keep them both apart.

"You said you had some questions for me?" Regina said, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Yes indeed." The detective said as she picked up her pen order to write her notes. "Why were you there?"

"What do you mean?" A confused Regina asked.

"What were you doing there when the boy ran into you?" Emma clarified.

"I was on my way home."

"From where?"

"From work."

"Your office is nowhere near that street." Emma retaliated. She had done her homework and Regina Mill's office was at least 12 blocks away. She was actually in a not so good part of the city. "So what were you doing there?" She asked again.

"As I said, I was coming back from work." Meeting a raised eyebrow from the detective, Regina didn't waver in her intense stare. "I had a meeting with a client in their office as I am a business defense lawyer."

"Okay." Emma said, jotting some words down on her notepad. "Could you give me the name of the company and the person you were meeting?"

"Sure." The lawyer said as she pulled out her phone to check her schedule. Pressing a few buttons she had the necessary information on the screen. Sliding the device over to the detective, she leaned back in the chair and decided that maybe it hadn't been the best idea to come here.

Regina's morning had started way too early after another night of tossing and turning in her bed. Not only the young boy had been on her mind but also her mother's silent 'warning'. It had only set her more on edge, not for herself but for the child as well. She had seen the fear in his eyes when he bumped into her. A fear that she wasn't going to forget very soon. At first glance he didn't look like a child that would venture into the world of crime on his own. But she could be completely wrong about it.

She just wanted to know the story behind everything and what was going to happen to him. Regina knew that she wasn't going to be allowed much insight in an ongoing investigation, but she had to try. And whatever her mother's warning was, she just hoped she could stay under her radar. That's why decided to come in on a Sunday, changes to get caught are at a minimum then.

"Thank you for the information." The detective said giving the phone back, bringing Regina out of her thinking. Accepting her phone, she gave a little nod in acknowledgement. "That is all I need to know at the moment. You said you had some questions yourself?"

"Yes I have."

"Well, ask away. I can't promise that I will be able to answer to all of them. But I will try." Emma said as she closed her notepad and put her pen on top of it. She wondered what the other woman wanted to know so badly that she came to the police station on a Sunday morning.

"How is he doing?" Regina asked quietly, putting away her phone in her vest pocket.

"He doing as well as can be expected from a kid in his situation." The detective answered, not expecting that to be the first question coming from the woman sitting on the other side of the table. She wondered if she was here on her mother's request? Scoping out the situation, seeing if she could find something out. Folding her hands in front of her, Emma let herself sink against her seat. Gazing at the lawyer, she tried to see her intentions but she couldn't get passed the professional mask the woman was sporting at this moment.

"How is the investigation going?" Regina asked after a few seconds had passed, seeing that the detective wouldn't say anything further about the boy. As a lawyer she knew this question was a risk, because the police wasn't keen on talking about ongoing investigation. But since she had a little involvement in the case, she could at least try.

"You know I can't talk about the case." And there Regina had the predicted answer. She tried to hide her disappointment about the lack of information and keep her professional front on but deep down she knew she had failed every so lightly.

"Thank you for your time Detective." Regina said as she gathered her purse. Emma had seen the disappointment and thought she might have misjudged the woman sitting in front of her, but before she could say anything, the woman was almost at the door.

"Miss Mills." Emma called out as the woman reached for the doorknob. "Here's my card." The detective said as she reached inside her pocket and pulled a slightly wrinkled card out. "If anything comes to mind, please don't hesitate to call me. Maybe time will give us both some more answers." She hoped that the underlying message was a clear.

"Thank you." The lawyer said, accepting the business card with a slightly raised eyebrow. "I will keep it in mind." Giving the other woman a soft smile, Emma inclined her head and opened the door for her.

"Have a nice Sunday, Miss Mills."

"Thank you. I hope you have as well." Regina said as she walked out, pocketing the card. Maybe she would need it in the future, if she had been correct about the underlying message that is. Stepping out into the street again, she drew in a deep breath. She hadn't gotten what she wanted to know, but if she had read the underlying message from the detective right, she might have a shot at knowing something more in the future.

* * *

Twirling the drink around in the glass, Gold watched as the amber colored liquid crashed against the sides of his glass just to ripple back to the other side. Mesmerized by the movement he didn't notice the very well dressed man taking his seat across from him.

"Still believing the stories that were told to us?" The deep voice pulled him out of his stare. Looking up to the man he gave him a soft nod in acknowledgement.

"Of course." Gold said as he gave his glass a last rock. "They hold some truths, which you like to forget about from time to time."

"The old man saying held some truths didn't they?" Leopold White said, thinking about his father. " _'Every action you perform against a man, will demand a counter action towards you.'_ That's what he explained to us with the glass didn't he? The ripples crashing back and forth. "

"Indeed he did." Gold said as he put the glass on the table between them. "And that's the one lesson he was completely right about. The others we always could interpreted in our own way." He finished with a soft chuckle.

"My father was a smart man, but he never was capable of taken the hard decisions."

"Maybe not, but still he gave us something to work with."

"Enough about the old man." Leopold said, getting up to get his own drink. "How is the situation with the boy going."

"It's being handled." Gold said with a smirk, picturing a slightly pissed of Cora Mills.

"Let me guess: Cora?" Knowing what the smirk on his right hands face was all about. "Just make sure that you don't piss her off too much. She knows a lot of our secrets."

"Don't worry about that. She has as much invested in this as we have."

"Regina?" White asked. Inclining his head as an answer, Gold took a sip from his glass. "Her daughter has always been her weak point."

"She made it that way." Gold said. " She could have taken a different path with her."

"That is true but this is Cora Mills we are talking about. If anything, she likes control above everything else."

"It's her strength that makes her weakness."

"Enough about that." White said as he took his seat again. "Let's talk business."

Putting down his glass, Gold pulled the files that were laying next to him closer with a nod. It was going to be a long afternoon. They had a lot to discuss.

* * *

"She just left the building M'am." The young voice on the other end of the phone said.

"Thank you." Cora said with as much composure as she could bring up. Ending the phone call, she suppressed the feeling to throw her phone against the wall. Stupid, stupid girl! Why couldn't she just listen to her.

Letting out a sigh, her mind raced. She needed to figure something out. She had to do something and quick before everything got out of hand.


End file.
